So I’m really trying to keep on top of the box of socks situbar, because I’m worried that I’m just not going to get made the twelve I promised myself I’d make. I’ve just been so… oh dear, I find it very tiresome when people whine about how busy they’ve been lately, but well, I have! during the last month Cassie announced her engagement to her long-term boyf Daniel, and then fulfilled my dream ever since basically the day I gave birth to her by asking me to make her wedding dress. I’m so very thrilled for this! Of course the whole family is over the moon and excited for another family wedding so soon! Our days are becoming very very full. And this will be my second wedding dress within a year!
I’ve even got started on the dress already… Cassie and I went shopping together at Fabulous Fabrics for a pattern and fabric, and bought a gorgeous pile of laces and the most beautiful heavy silk taffeta. I’m so excited to cut into it! And this is muslin number one. It’s ok, however the fit is not quite right and there will definitely be a second before cutting into the precious taffeta.
Vogue 8470…
Aaaad anyway, just quickly getting back to just about the biggest anticlimax possible, my new pair of socks. Pretty, huh? I bought the ball of yarn in Japan. Of course. Everything in Japan is cool.
This is Opal yarn, colour KFS 128 “Ice cream”. I absolutely love the soft pretty pinks and the frozen iceberg blues, however there was a short section in there of a sort of dirty white, with purple and green splotches; which I did not like. So I removed these parts of the yarn while knitting, and I think the colour way is just so much the better for it.
The box of socks is looking pretty stuffed but mahty fahn all the same!
“one-term bf”? or “long-term bf”?? I kinda think you wouldn’t be so thrilled if it were the former?? 🙂
whoops! An inappropriate typo! 😀
Your daughter has excellent taste! I’m a big fan of other-than-diamond engagement rings, and the pattern for the dress that she chose is similar to the pattern I’ve had for years that I dream of making my own wedding dress with (New Look 6401).
And I agree – the Opal colorway looks better with just the pinks and blues. Your box of socks is mighty fine, indeed! 😉
Cassie’s engagement is wonderful and exciting news! The ring suits her beautifully and I can’t wait seeing your steps in making her stunning wedding dress. The chosen pattern is very promising, I think it is perfect!
Congratulations.
How exciting that your daughter wants you to make her wedding dress. I lovingly remember making my daughter’s dress – such a happy time! The box of socks is looking fabulous.
Congratulations all around!
Congratulations from here too. What a monumental year it’s been for your family (and your sewing achievements).
Congratulations to Cassie and to you and Craig of course! The muslin for the wedding dress looks promising. The engagement ring looks lovely, so special. I like your socks too, your box looks very colourful. Best regards from an autumnal Basel Anita
You took out some of the yarn and you STILL got that match?
Huge congratulations on the prospect of another happy wedding! It says something about your family dynamics that your children seem so ready to commit to marriages of their own.
Can’t wait to see the next wedding dress. I’m a fan of vintage 1940s-y fashion anyway. A young beauty like Cassie will stun the crowd silent in it.
On a completely different note, I used your dog biscuit recipe to make a batch for two friends’ beloved dogs. They agreed with Clara, times 10. Thank you for that,
Hi Carolyn,
Long time lurker, first time commenter here. I’m a newbie sock knitter, and wondering if you have tips for how to knit lighter weight socks? I appreciated the cosiness of my chunky hand-knits in the depths of the Victorian winter, but as we get further into spring they seem a bit too warm. I tried using smaller needles and more stitches to try to make finer “fabric”, but just ended up with teeny tiny socks!
Any tips would be most gratefully received.
Congratulations on your daughter’s engagement. Exciting times for your family, and for us, as we get to follow the progress of The Dress!
You’ll just have to experiment more with gauge, to use “smaller needles and more stitches.” You really do have to go through the drudgery of making a swatch and counting stitches per inch and doing basic mathematics.
My favorite needles for socks are double-points, size 5 for worsted weight yarn and size 2 for sock weight yarn. I know through experience that, with those needles and at the tension of my old hands, I need to cast on 40 stitches for my feet with worsted yarn; 56-60 stitches with sock yarn.
It all depends on how tightly or loosely YOU knit, and how big are the feet and legs YOU are trying to fit for socks.
You can do this. I have confidence in you. — Lynn Barnes, North Carolina, USA
Thanks so much, Lynn,
I’ve been told by some random ladies on my train to work that I knit very tightly. I did try making a gauge swatch for my latest pair of socks, but it came out so far off the dimensions in the pattern I figured I must have done something wrong, so decided to just plough ahead and make the largest size. Admittedly a silly decision since I have big feet, so probably would need that size anyway!
I’ll make sure to get the gauge right for the next pair, and will try size 2 needles. For the pair I’m working on now I’m using size 0, and cast on 72 stitches. I expect I’ll have to give them to my mum, who has much daintier feet than me!
Thanks again for your advice, it’s much appreciated.
Fiona
thanks so much for that great advice, LinB! Fiona; I agree, it’s best to knit a test square to check you are getting the correct tension for the wool you are using… skinnier needles will result is smaller stitches (more stitches per 10cm) If you knit very tightly your socks will end up a bit smaller and more “solid” than the pattern intended and you are probably best going up a few needle sizes, to a “thicker” needle, and your tension will be a bit looser too 🙂
And thank you! I am looking forward to getting on with the next wedding dress too!
Thanks a million, Carolyn. I promise I’ll do a test square before starting my next pair ☺
oh you lucky bucky . What a thrill to make ANOTHER wedding dress. The ring is lovely such a lovely colored stone. Is it a topaz?WOW you are going to be busy one but oh only a few times in a lifetime do you get this thrill . Enjoy it 🙂
Another pair of gorgeous socks, but who can think of socks, however elegant, when you are also writing about another wedding dress. How exciting! I am looking forward to seeing more beautiful only-a-few-times-in-a-lifetime project notes and photos. Congratulations to Cassie.